I can’t find my dad’s marriage certificate to his first wife - am I out of luck?

[JTSD20]

Hi guys,

I’ve been agonizing over the last document that I can not find for my 1948 case. When I ordered my parents’ marriage certificate, I found that my dad was listed as “divorced”. Fortunately the divorce was published in a newspaper and I was able to get the divorce decree. The decree unfortunately did not list where the marriage took place. He divorced at age 19 so I have been searching from the years he was age 16-19.

I have sent vital records requests to all the states that he lived in or near. I sent requests to many parishes in Louisiana that he lived in/near. A state-wide index search pulled up nothing. No record found in the state he got divorced in. He had to have gotten married somewhere! Is my citizenship application dead in the water without this? I’ve contacted every state he’s ever lived in and I’m so worried I’ll never find it.

[darkerhorse]

What are the names of the bride and groom, and where do you think they might have married?

[JTSD20]

What are the names of the bride and groom, and where do you think they might have married?

Hi Darkerhorse,

Thank you for your help. Unfortunately I can’t post their names because other relatives could find this and it seems to be a secret (I was never told of this marriage in my entire life). Louisiana was my best bet - Where else would two young, broke teenagers get married in the south in the early 70s? I just sent requests to neighboring Mississippi and Florida although I don’t think he ever lived there. I even checked Las Vegas and Texas.

I just hope the record just didn’t get wiped out in a hurricane or something.

I’ve searched Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive, and every genealogy website I’ve ever heard about.

[darkerhorse]

Va bene.

If someone thinks they can help, you could always communicate by private message, if you trust them.

I was just going to make general searches, so count me out.

[darkerhorse]

If they were Sicilian, New Orleans might be worth searching.

Have you tried this source on Ancestry.com?


New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Marriage Records Index, 1831-1964

This database is an index to marriage records for New Orleans (which is coextensive with Orleans Parish) between the years 1831-1964. New Orleans was one of the first cities to establish the keeping of vital records, which they began doing in 1790. It wasn't until 1914 that the keeping of vital records became a statewide mandate. In addition to providing the names of the people who were married, the index provides their ages, sex, marriage date, and a reference to the original record. The index was obtained from the Secretary of State in Louisiana, Division of Archives, Records Management, and History.

[JTSD20]

If they were Sicilian, New Orleans might be worth searching.

Have you tried this source on Ancestry.com?


New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Marriage Records Index, 1831-1964

This database is an index to marriage records for New Orleans (which is coextensive with Orleans Parish) between the years 1831-1964. New Orleans was one of the first cities to establish the keeping of vital records, which they began doing in 1790. It wasn't until 1914 that the keeping of vital records became a statewide mandate. In addition to providing the names of the people who were married, the index provides their ages, sex, marriage date, and a reference to the original record. The index was obtained from the Secretary of State in Louisiana, Division of Archives, Records Management, and History.

Thank you, that is a great index. My dad would have been too young on that one. Orleans Parish was one I was most hopeful for. Unfortunately a state-wide index search turned up no record. Louisiana state archives also turned up nothing.

Since it’s around 50 years ago, I wonder if it’s just a tiny bit too recent to be in archives. I have dug very deep online. My great grandfather married in Delaware, unlinked to any place he’d ever lived. I was lucky it was in the 40s and old enough to be archived or I would have never known to look there.

[Rruffolo]

You might be able to get away without it, you may need to consult with an attorney. It seems that going through the courts you don't have to worry as much about death a d marriage certificates as you do when you go through the consulate.

I would also try familysearch.org to look for the certificate

[Rruffolo]

You might be able to get away without it. Let your attorney who is doing your 1948 case that you can not find it. It seems that when you go through the courts you don't have to worry as much about death and marriage certificates as you do when you go through the consulate.

Best of luck

[Barga1948]

This is very interesting, specially since you don't know anything about his first wife. Sorry it's so difficult. One thing that is coming to mind is if your father married in another country. That happened with my great-grandfather. He came to MO, but married in Venezuela and brought his wife to MO.

I wonder if your father traveled to Italy during that age and married there.

Good luck.

[JTSD20]

You might be able to get away without it. Let your attorney who is doing your 1948 case that you can not find it. It seems that when you go through the courts you don't have to worry as much about death and marriage certificates as you do when you go through the consulate.

Best of luck

Thank you, I hope that this is an option as a last resort. My ICA contact hasn't mentioned it as an option, but I'll bring it up if all else seems hopeless.

[JTSD20]

This is very interesting, specially since you don't know anything about his first wife. Sorry it's so difficult. One thing that is coming to mind is if your father married in another country. That happened with my great-grandfather. He came to MO, but married in Venezuela and brought his wife to MO.

I wonder if your father traveled to Italy during that age and married there.

Good luck.

Thank you, fortunately I can confirm he hadn't been abroad at the time. I still have a few more places to look but it's so nerve wracking. That's so interesting about your great grandfather. I'm glad you were able to find where he got married.

[mler]

My guess is you will be fine without it. A first marriage is of concern because Italy wants to be certain that the second marriage was valid. But if you have divorce records, the existence of a first marriage is not in question, and the divorce establishes the validity of the second marriage which, in truth, is the one that counts.

[afecad]

Thank you, I hope that this is an option as a last resort. My ICA contact hasn't mentioned it as an option, but I'll bring it up if all else seems hopeless.

I highly doubt ICA will advise you to proceed with your case without this document as it falls away from their "connect the dots" methodology.

I'm married twice as well and had to provide my 1st marriage certificate, divorce decree & notice of no appeal (not something courts or even divorce lawyers in the US are familiar with.) and went back and forth with the court house in question and it wasn't a small rural courthouse but a big/metro county in Southern California. I'm not sure if you need "notice of no appeal", maybe statute of limitations is in place here.

Luckily ICA took care of drafting the letters and sent instructions on how to proceed. Eventually I got everything they required.

Most marriage certificates are not public, especially 50 years ago and it's possible it's on file in a smaller county courthouse, maybe not a metro area. I would search places he lived, county courts and depending on how things are handled in the state, the record might be in a filing cabinet at the local county courthouse.

[JTSD20]

Thank you, I hope that this is an option as a last resort. My ICA contact hasn't mentioned it as an option, but I'll bring it up if all else seems hopeless.

I highly doubt ICA will advise you to proceed with your case without this document as it falls away from their "connect the dots" methodology.

I'm married twice as well and had to provide my 1st marriage certificate, divorce decree & notice of no appeal (not something courts or even divorce lawyers in the US are familiar with.) and went back and forth with the court house in question and it wasn't a small rural courthouse but a big/metro county in Southern California. I'm not sure if you need "notice of no appeal", maybe statute of limitations is in place here.

Luckily ICA took care of drafting the letters and sent instructions on how to proceed. Eventually I got everything they required.

Most marriage certificates are not public, especially 50 years ago and it's possible it's on file in a smaller county courthouse, maybe not a metro area. I would search places he lived, county courts and depending on how things are handled in the state, the record might be in a filing cabinet at the local county courthouse.

Thank you I agree that I’ll need it. I sent a record request to Mississippi but the person I spoke with said the office might not process my request since I didn’t know the county. There are 82 counties in MS, and the most likely one came up empty in an index search.

[afecad]

Thank you I agree that I’ll need it. I sent a record request to Mississippi but the person I spoke with said the office might not process my request since I didn’t know the county. There are 82 counties in MS, and the most likely one came up empty in an index search.

Not sure where in Mississippi you are looking, but you might want to check out a freelance researcher to see if they can help you.

https://www.mdah.ms.gov/freelance-researchers